I’m not optimistic about the next four years
Several letters to editors and columnists in the Observer-Reporter have suggested that we citizens who oppose President Trump should give it some time and allow the president to show that he can govern wisely and effectively. I have been attempting to do that, but Trump and members of his administration have said and done things that one might not expect from even the most despotic of governments.
He started his presidency with a flurry of executive orders. I agree with one restricting former members of government from profiting off their service by taking lobbying jobs and other positions that allow them to trade on their insider knowledge.
Some of the other orders, not so much.
His travel ban order is very likely legal, and even may not really be challengeable under the Constitution once it’s revised. I have read several letters that cite the law sections that enable Trump to enforce his ban, and in reading the statutes, I tend to agree. But just because Trump can enact this ban doesn’t mean that he should. The seven countries named in his ban have never produced someone who committed a terrorist act in this country. Why isn’t Saudi Arabia listed, since eleven of the 9/11 hijackers were citizens of that country, and the Saudis still fund Wahhabi institutions that foster terrorist ideas? Trump and his minions made clear during the campaign that they were looking to ban Muslims. While the ban never mentions Muslims, the countries targeted are all predominantly Muslim. If those challenging the ban can show that past statements by Trump and members of his administration mean that the intent of the ban is really directed at Muslims, it might be subject to a challenge under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
His campaign promise to “drain the swamp,” the meaning of which indicated a desire to rid the administration of Washington insiders, is now beyond being a joke. Two of his Cabinet selections are people who held Cabinet posts during past administrations. Several have served in Congress. Three are retired generals. And let’s not even talk about the six appointees who worked for Goldman Sachs. For someone who constantly criticized Goldman Sachs and Hillary Clinton’s ties to that organization, he certainly likes having as his treasury secretary a former Goldman Sachs employee. Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser, was forced to resign and still could face prosecution for his conversations with Russians about sanctions while he was still a private citizen.
James Mattis, the secretary of defense, has bought into Trump’s plans to marginalize NATO. While attending a NATO meeting in Brussels recently, Mattis said that the U.S. could “moderate its commitment to the alliance if other member states fail to meet the requisite spending targets.” We can only guess what “moderate” means in this context, but Vladimir Putin must be pretty satisfied with the Russian effort to put Trump in office. I’d like to see all NATO members meet the required payments to support the pact, but with Russia’s aggressive attitude toward Eastern Europe, now is not the time. Pundits saw Mattis as a possible stabilizing influence in the Trump government, but it looks like that might not be the case.
It is all too easy to compare the Trump admiration to fascist dictatorships, or Trump to Adolf Hitler. Demonstrators during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama presidencies loved creating placards with pictures of Obama and Bush sporting Hitler-like moustaches and hair styles. Neither of those two presidents were anything like Hitler, nor did their administrations resemble that of the Nazis. But to compare Trumpism to Nazism, based on the ideas of adviser Steve Bannon and the statements of Stephen Miller, another adviser, is not too far to reach.
Bannon in the past described himself as a Leninist, saying that Vladimir Lenin wanted to destroy the state. Bannon went on to say that it is his goal, too. He said he wanted to bring everything crashing down and destroy all of today’s establishment. He included in the group both the Democratic and Republican parties, as well as the traditional conservative press. There is no indication that Bannon has had any change of heart in this regard, and now he is among Trump’s most trusted advisers.
Miller basically argues that anything Trump does is inherently constitutional, whether it targets a religion or anything else. Miller has said “the powers of the president to protect our country are very substantial and will not be questioned. Joseph Goebbels would be proud.
As we move into March, Trump and many of the officials in his executive branch still contend that that 3 million to 5 million undocumented immigrants voted in the presidential election and denied Trump a popular vote win. Trump associates have stated that many people are registered to vote in more than one state and could have voted twice. Does this include one of Trump’s daughters and Bannon, both of whom are registered in two states? I hate to see good money wasted on chimeras, but this lie won’t be put to rest until a serious and detailed investigation is conducted. Despite every state voting official denying that any fraud existed, Trump clings to ideas that he can’t accept because they make him look like a failure. News that does not conform to his ideas or agendas is, to him, “fake news.” All of it is yet another example of his narcissism.
I am not optimistic about the next four years.
Bloom is a resident of Lawrence and a retired Marine.